It wasn't too long ago that Zac Dalpe was the wide-eyed teenager honing his skills with a bunch of local college, junior and professional players in the off season and during the Christmas break.

Friday at the Brant Sports Complex, Dalpe was the veteran pro setting the example, as the next wave of young guns worked out with local hockey gurus Scott Rex and Paul Polillo.

"It's weird being the old guy out here because on my team I'm the one getting bugged for being the young guy," said Dalpe, who's shared time this season in the NHL with the Carolina Hurricanes and AHL's Charlotte Checkers. "I remember coming out here and I was the one looking up to the Grattons and a bunch of other guys."

Dalpe, who's back home for a couple of days to spend time with his family in Paris, said when he was first started coming to the sessions run by Rex, he always had his eye on Chris Gratton, who at the time was the local NHLer he and the other up-and-comers aspired to be like.

"It was fun playing and watching him (Gratton)," Dalpe said. "I watched his every move. You wanted to see how his work ethic was on the ice and how he carried himself off of it. Even something as simple as how he left the rink and treated others."

He learned those lessons just observing and he's carried them with him throughout his journey to professional hockey. And now they are lessons he's passing down to some of the other players that are hoping to get to the next level.

"Something as simple as not slowing down until you're done the skating drill," Dalpe said. "I hope what they can learn from me is they see the way I work. It's all about good habits, even in the NHL. In the summer, or at something like this it's easy make bad habits. You have to try to do everything like it's an NHL practice. The intensity is obviously much different but the idea of creating good habits for yourself is still the same. Something as simple as calling for the puck is a great example."

And that's something Rex and Polillo noticed while sitting on the bench watching the group scrimmage.

"It really is a mentorship," Rex said. "It's something the players pass down to each other.

"The guys out here see a guy like (Zac) Dalpe and know what he's had to go through to get to where he is now," he said. "They see what his work ethic is like and it's just not on the ice. Some of these younger players see what it takes and have to elevate their games when they're out here with these guys."

Although the session had its usual tough elements as the players went through a series of drills not only to hone their skills, but to stay well-conditioned during the break, it was still about fun. Once the drills were done, they all threw their sticks in the middle of the ice and had a free-flowing scrimmage. But of course there was a competitive element, with the losing team going for a skate.

"Stuff like this is fun," Dalpe said. "As hard as you push yourself, you still have to remember that it's a game. It's fun. It's great to be out here not only to get a great workout but to see the guys and have a good time."